


Exact Curriculum

by Kalloway



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: A GF Ate That Memory, A Sorceress Did It, M/M, Oops Wrong Planet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-22
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2017-12-12 14:04:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/812405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalloway/pseuds/Kalloway
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time, except maybe not that long ago, Squall settled into his role as leader of Garden. And all was well for a little tiny while though sometimes Laguna phoned at odd hours. With strange stories about having made incredibly poor decisions. Which meant Squall was going to have to...</p>
<p>...hire a very strange fellow named Vincent Valentine to work for him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was started a very long time ago - probably somewhere close to a decade ago. I semi-promptly wrote three-and-a-half chapters and got horribly distracted by something or other. However, I did make excellent notes and since this is one of the stories that people still ask about, it seems like time to dust it off (and sneeze) and finish it up. 
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> I have made a couple of tiny edits (flow, punctuation, etc.) to this posting compared to the version archived on my personal site.

The longer Squall tried to ignore the high wailing of his office phone, the more obvious it became that whoever was calling was not going to give up until the phone was answered. 

"Hello," Squall mumbled, trying to figure out who even had the number to dial directly into his office. 

"Squall! How're you doing?" 

Squall groaned, audibly, before looking to see just how much coffee he had left in his cup. 

His cup was half empty. 

"Do you have any idea what time it is here?" Squall asked before double-checking the clock on his computer to verify that it truly was barely after seven in the morning. 

"Time zones!" Laguna exclaimed before breaking into a nervous chuckle. "Ah, I forgot about that. But you're up, which is the important thing." 

"What. Is. It?" Squall asked through clenched teeth. It was much too early to deal with anything stupid. In fact, the only reason he was up and in his office so early was so he could catch up on his ever growing pile of paperwork. Alone. In peace. With no one disturbing him. Wanting stupid things. At a little after seven in the morning. 

"A couple weeks ago some of Esthar's soldiers found a man nearly dead out in the desert," Laguna began. "They brought him back and he had a very interesting story to tell." 

"Sorceress?" Squall asked quickly, perking up just a bit. 

"Nope. Well, maybe. But not what you're thinking, Squall. More like... Um..." 

Squall fought the urge to bang his head on the desk. 

"You know, he'll be much better at explaining all of that," Laguna finally said. "To tell the truth, I was sort of confused by it all." 

"Back up a second. Are you saying you..." 

"He's on his way there. I know you said you were looking for one more instructor so I just thought..." Laguna said, only to suddenly finding himself talking to the dial tone. 

Squall unplugged the office phone and dumped it in his trash can. He wouldn't leave it there. He'd just store it there safely until he didn't feel vaguely homicidal. 

His paperwork didn't get done. Instead he tried to figure out how to ship the mystery man back to Esthar as soon as possible. Unless, of course, Laguna had somehow had a good idea. 

For just a moment his morning was broken by a slight chuckle. 

~*~

The man had said no more than a handful of words to Quistis since she'd picked him up at the train station. And now, walking into Balamb Garden, she had her reservations about the whole situation. But the final outcome was in the Commander's hands, not hers. 

"Just take the elevator up," Quistis found herself saying, not really wanting to spend another moment with the man. As he got into the elevator, she took another glance at him and at the gold gleaming beneath the cloak he wore. 

"Maybe you just have to get to know him," she said to herself before turning to go. Her classes had all been dismissed for the day, so she was off duty until her evening patrol through the Training Center. 

~*~

Squall looked up from his eighth cup of coffee when he heard a slight knock at his office door. 

"Come in," he yelled, shuffling some papers in front of him and trying to look like he hadn't been staring off into space for the last few minutes. 

"Commander Leonhart?" the visitor asked, stepping through the doorway and pausing just inside the room. 

"Listen," Squall said as he stood from his chair and crossed around in front of his desk. "I have no intention of hiring you. Laguna is an impulsive..." 

And then he stopped, mid-sentence, to stare at the man standing just inside the doorway of his office. 

"Sit down," Squall said quickly as he went to do the same. 

The man complied silently and once he was seated, Squall looked straight into his guest's bright red eyes. 

"My name is Vincent Valentine," the man said, holding out a hand across the desk to shake. "And if nothing else, just hear me out." 

Squall nodded dumbly as he shook Vincent's hand. Mentally he noted a dozen small things, such as how damned strong the handshake was coming from someone who looked downright underfed. 

"Go ahead." 

"I was told this world had a near-cataclysmic disturbance several years ago that permanently altered various aspects of the environment and possibly the so-called life-force of the land," Vincent began, dropping his right hand from the desk to rest below Squall's line of vision. 

Squall blinked. That was certainly an interesting way to describe the last Sorceress War. 

"Correct," he said. 

"The world I am from had a similar series of disturbances," Vincent continued. "And without any other explanation to grasp at, I am of the assumption that whatever separated this world and my world grew thin enough to temporarily rupture." 

"You're from another... dimension?" Squall asked. He really, really hoped he would wake up and be told he'd taken a hit to the head. 

"Put simply, yes." 

"And you expect me to believe that?" 

"No," Vincent said calmly. "In your position, I would not believe a man telling a story such as mine." 

Squall contemplated banging his head on the wall before realizing such an action would be completely juvenile. Banging his head on his desk would definitely be more mature. Yet he completed neither action, choosing only to imagine each one. It almost managed to work. And then he remembered his phone was still in the garbage can, which no longer had anything to do with the black-haired man sitting patiently across from him, waiting for some sort of verdict. 

If his story was true, Squall definitely needed to keep the man around for further... study. It seemed like a cold term for another person, but it was the only one that could sum up just what he was thinking. If anything, he wanted to know more about Vincent's world and if Vincent had any knowledge that would prove useful to Garden. 

"You can stay," Squall found himself saying. "Do you have any military training?" 

Vincent nodded. "I was once a part of an elite group of... skilled assassins. After that I was recruited by a party of terrorists who successfully destroyed my former employer." 

Squall raised an eyebrow, a bit of body language not missed by Vincent. 

"Would a demonstration suffice? Ms. Trepe did mention a stocked training facility," Vincent said quickly. 

"I... I would like that," Squall said quickly. He was having a hard time imagining the slight man as any sort of extremist fighter. Especially someone so calm and soft-spoken. If he was as good as his resume, then perhaps he could teach all of Garden a few things. 

"Then lead the way, Commander," Vincent replied, a slight smile crossing his lips. It unnerved Squall a bit, but Squall wasn't sure just what the unnerving factor was, whether it was those glowing red eyes or just the way Vincent addressed him. 

Wherever Vincent came from, he was as captivating as he was creepy. 

Squall stood, crossing the room to pull his gunblade case from a shelf. 

"You need a weapon?" he asked, looking back at Vincent. 

"I have more than one," Vincent said, his voice still even. At least, Squall decided, he didn't seem bloodthirsty. 

Without speaking, Squall removed his weapon from the case and swung it up to rest on his shoulder. Only then did Vincent stand, smoothing his cloak with his right hand as he did so. 

Vincent seemed to be willing to answer questions but not volunteer information on his own. It was an admirable quality. 

"The Training Center is this way," Squall said, motioning to the door. "We can stop for lunch though, if you'd like." 

"Afterward," Vincent replied. How he could not be hungry after the trip from Esthar, Squall wasn't sure. After all, last Squall could remember, the train served nothing edible on its morning runs. 

"This is a nicely designed environment," Vincent commented midway through their elevator trip to the first floor. "Effective?" 

Squall didn't reply at first. It wasn't exactly questioning Garden, yet it wasn't exactly idle curiosity, either. 

"The finest hired mercenaries and private army members are trained in this facility," Squall said. "Even those who choose other lines of work are greeted by success." 

He managed to hold in his desire to ask why Vincent had inquired. He was trying to keep the upper hand but found it difficult. They each seemed to be carefully watching the other, gauging responses and questions. 

"Mercenary," Vincent repeated back. "Yes, I knew one who called himself by that title." 

The sudden faraway look in Vincent's eyes was new to Squall. It did make sense, obviously Vincent had to have had some sort of friends and loved ones back in his world. Vincent had lost quite literally everything. And perhaps, Squall thought, he should be a bit sensitive to that for the time being. 

The elevator stopped and Vincent followed Squall silently to the Training Center. It was relatively empty, save for a couple of girls who giggled and waved to Squall. He didn't return the gesture and instead pointed to the opposing path. 

"I'm not sure the creatures here are anything you'd be used to," Squall said. "If it's anything large, let me take care of it." 

"I'm sure I'll be perfectly fine," Vincent replied, not bothering to even reach for whatever weapon he had hidden beneath his cloak. 

Vincent's seemingly nonchalant attitude was starting to get to Squall. For all their combined silence, Squall had never stopped actively thinking. So far he actually liked Vincent and found himself wanting to trust him. 

Before they could round the next turn, Vincent reached out his arm to stop Squall. Whatever he heard, Squall didn't. But the creatures stalking them decided to show themselves soon enough. 

A pack of three grats quickly surrounded them, two to their front and one to the back. 

"Go for it," Squall said quickly. "I'll take the back one." 

Before Squall could even take a step towards the creature, he heard a shot ring out. Glancing back ever so quickly, he saw one of the two grats slump forward. The second one looked as though it was going to make a move, but it wasn't a concern at the moment; not with a grat in his face as well. 

A perfect trigger quickly took care of his quarry and Squall looked back to see how Vincent was doing. He hadn't heard a second shot yet. 

Just as he could see the scene clearly, Vincent fired. It was amazing, a perfect shot that seemed to instantly kill the target. And Vincent seemed to absolutely absorb the recoil. 

"What is that thing?" Squall asked, looking from the large smoking gun in Vincent's hand to the two dead grats and back again. 

"Death Penalty," Vincent replied, tucking it back under his cloak. 

Blinking, Squall wondered if even Irvine could pull off the sort of accuracy he just saw. A teaching job was definitely in the works if this was part of a pattern. 

"We should head deeper," Squall said, suddenly very anxious, perhaps for the first time ever, to find a T-Rexaur. With everyone's busy schedules and constant missions, he didn't often get someone skilled to partner with, certainly rarely someone who could go up against a T-Rexaur with him. 

Vincent nodded, looking off into the underbrush again. Instead of saying anything, he just reached out and pointed off to the left. It was an odd gesture, since not only was he using his right hand but also since he was reaching across Squall, who had moved to that side. 

"Where?" Squall whispered. But before Vincent could reply, Squall could hear it too. It wasn't anything big, but it was close. And behind him. 

Another grat stumbled out onto the path, looking about as confused as a grat possibly could. It looked as though it had already been through a fight and had a variety of status ailments cast upon it. 

Squall put a hand to his head. 

"Kill it," he said to Vincent. "I wish the students would learn to kill what they start." 

Suddenly the grat regained its bearings and leaped at Squall. Before he could react, a flash of red crossed his vision. 

Vincent stood there, the dead grat at his feet, a hand of golden claws glittering under the Training Center lights and marred only by the blood of the creature. 

That was proof enough for Squall that he was having a bad day and should just go back to bed. Normally he would be on top of things but ever since being annoyed, er, pestered, er... greeted by Laguna's phone call that morning, he'd been on a slight mental vacation. 

And besides that, Vincent had proven himself worthy to at least stick around for awhile, even if it was just as a guest. 

"Thanks," Squall tossed off, trying not to stare at the claws Vincent quickly tucked back under his cloak. No wonder, Squall thought, that he hadn't seen the man's other hand until now. 

"You seem willing to take damage," Vincent said. 

"Adrenaline," Squall muttered. "I think I need it today." 

"Perhaps, though, I should take you up on that meal," Vincent continued. "I have to admit to a slight fear that one of your students will attempt to cast onto me whatever that poor beast had cast onto it." 

Squall smiled a rare smile. At least Vincent wasn't without a sense of humor. 

"Do you like hot dogs?" Squall asked, turning to head back to the entrance. "We always seem to have hot dogs in the cafeteria." 

Vincent looked over at Squall, but didn't say a thing. 

They were within sight of the entrance when there was a crash behind them. A T-Rexaur lunged out from the trees, startling them both. This time Squall had quick reflexes. But one hit onto the T-Rexaur did little more than anger it. It lunged at them both, Vincent firing up at it as he was knocked to the ground. 

"Vincent!" Squall cried, lunging forward and hitting the T-Rexaur with all he had. He heard another gunshot before being pushed back by the beast. Without pause he quickly decided his best bet would be to summon assistance. His first choice, as always, was Shiva. 

He fluttered out of that plain of existence, aware only of the slight chill that went with Shiva's appearance. When next he found himself face to face with the red creature, something new was attacking the beast. It was... Something. 

And whatever it was, it packed one heckuva whallop. It wasn't a GF, as far as Squall knew. No one in Garden had anything that looked like this thing. And he couldn't imagine Vincent having a GF. Especially nothing like this. It didn't even behave like a GF. 

But that was moot at the moment. The T-Rexaur lunged forward again and Squall raised his gunblade. Bringing it down quickly, he pulled the trigger to deliver what was ultimately the deathblow. 

And just as the creature collapsed to the ground, Squall looked over to where the mysterious not-a-GF was. Except it was no longer there. Instead, Vincent was standing in its place, looking quite pale and unsteady on his feet. 

By the time he wavered and slipped to his knees, Squall was there to ease him down. 

"What was that?" Squall asked, watching as Vincent's breathing evened out. 

"Something that hasn't happened in quite awhile," Vincent replied, politely removing Squall's hand from his shoulder and standing. "It isn't a cause for worry." 

"Was that a GF?" Squall inquired as they quickly headed for the exit. 

"A GF?" Vincent replied. 

"Guardian Force, something summoned," Squall explained. "I'm not sure if you saw me summon Shiva or not." 

"Shiva," Vincent echoed, not really asking a question before closing his eyes. "Yes, I understand you calling her, but no, what you saw was not a... GF." 

"Then what was it?" Squall asked, just as they reached the entrance of the cafeteria. 

"Me," Vincent said simply. "Something within me." 

"Like a GF?" 

Vincent shook his head. "No. This body is shared." 

~*~

As the sight of dozens of students waiting in line for food greeted them, Squall decided it was a good time to keep quiet and not push. He already had figured out that Vincent was far from an average guy. 

"No lines for staff or guests," Squall said, gesturing for Vincent to follow him back behind the lunch counter. 

They ate back in Squall's office, free of the stares and interruptions of the cafeteria. Between bites, Squall kept glancing up to watch Vincent. The man certainly was a ball of surprises. 

"Could you teach?" Squall asked, breaking the silence after chewing and swallowing one last mouthful of sticky macaroni and cheese. 

"Perhaps," Vincent replied. "However, I am not yet aware of the exact curriculum here." 

"I mean, once you understand how Garden operates," Squall corrected. He was sure that Vincent would... somehow manage to fit it amongst the rest of the menagerie that somehow churned out skilled fighters for private use. 

"Then you are asking me to stay?" Vincent questioned, pausing with his fork halfway to his mouth. 

"For now," Squall said, hoping his other intentions weren't so obvious. 

"You're much like your father," Vincent said in response. "Keeping me close until you know if I'm a threat or not. But I would think you would at least respect his opinion." 

Squall's mouth dropped open. Neither he nor Laguna ever made mention of their relationship, and definitely not to random strangers. And it wasn't as if it was an easy guess - if anyone had figured it out in the past, they'd never made mention of it. 

But Vincent didn't reply, he just continued eating.


	2. Chapter 2

"I have class with him too!"

Squall glanced across the library towards where the loud squeal had come from. The students had just received their new class assignments, and already he had heard dozens of excited comments about the new instructor.

Two months had passed since Vincent had first arrived at Garden. Those two months had gone quickly, blurring into a mess of training, ritual, and quite a few late nights swapping stories.

Squall felt comfortable around Vincent, and that simple fact made everyone more willing to accept Vincent into their midst.

After a run in with Selphie and a pair of scissors, Vincent even looked like a proper instructor, his wild hair trimmed to rest on his shoulders and his wardrobe filled with professional attire.

That, mixed with his red eyes and mysterious past, had gotten him quite the fan club of both female and male students. Even Quistis couldn't help a bit of jealousy as some of her Trepies jumped ship.

Walking over to stand on the other side of the bookcase from the gaggle of gossiping girls, Squall leaned close to listen, just for curiosity’s sake. Normally he dismissed such behavior, but as Headmaster, it was interesting to hear just what students thought of their instructors - even the ones who hadn't taught a single class yet.

"I heard he's from Esthar," one girl said, her voice barely below a normal tone. So much for whispering in a library.

"Do you think he has a girlfriend?" another asked.

"He spends a lot of time with the headmaster." The voice was that of the first, screaming girl.

"Because he's an instructor, you dork."

Squall backed away, curious if he really was spending so much time with Vincent that it was beginning to look like something besides a professional friendship. The idea was preposterous - Vincent was a good looking man but he never mentioned relationships or romance in regards to himself. For all Squall knew, he just wasn't interested in general.

As he left the library, his first thought was to go visit Vincent, who was more than likely setting up his new classroom. Still setting up his new classroom, Squall corrected, as he headed towards the elevator. It didn't seem to be nervousness that tainted Vincent's perfectionism, but rather comfort. He didn't seem to be a fan of new technology and was doing his best to shun the computer terminals for books and paper.

Squall knocked on the closed classroom door, waiting patiently for a moment for it to be opened. He didn't want to barge inside, just in case Vincent was working on something surprising.

The door opened a crack before opening all the way.

"Leonhart!" Before Squall could so much as reply, he was pulled inside.

Finding himself quite close and very face to face with Vincent, Squall momentarily lost the ability to speak. There was something about Vincent's eyes that was very nearly hypnotizing.

"Classes haven't even started yet, and look..." Vincent stepped away to point at his desk, which was absolutely covered in apples, small gifts, and even flowers.

Squall sucked in his breath before chuckling. He did a quick mental count of the apples before wondering what Vincent would do with the three dozen he had amassed.

"Rethinking?" Squall questioned, walking over to the desk and picking up an apple.

"They wouldn't still be here if they were unwilling to learn this craft," Vincent replied. "Once the term gets underway, I believe they'll settle down."

"You'll probably still have a few hardcore devotees," Squall said, flipping the apple from one hand to the other and glancing around the classroom. So far it seemed standard, lacking most decoration and personality.

"But I don't see why," Vincent said, looking away quickly. "I am flawed not of my own will."

"That's just your opinion," Squall replied before taking a bite of the apple. It was sweet and juicy, meaning it was bought fresh and likely not just swiped from the cafeteria.

Vincent looked at him questioningly, as though he hadn't quite heard Squall's statement.

"Do you need any help?" Squall asked once he'd swallowed.

Shaking his head, Vincent sighed. "I think I need to figure this all out on my own. But you're welcome to stay, if you desire."

"Fine, fine..." Squall walked over to the bookcase holding a meager few physical text books and picked one out. It was something Squall didn't remember ever seeing before - a book on the ancient history of world.

"Interesting past this place has," Vincent commented, red eyes looking holes through Squall. "I picked that up in Balamb from a junk shop, but it corroborates much of what I've found in the computers here."

"Can I read this?" Squall asked before taking another bite of his apple.

"Of course," Vincent replied. "And you can have an apple as well, if you'd like." 

~*~

It was already early evening when Squall put down the book, somewhat amazed at the twilight forming outside the classroom windows. Not a soul had bothered the pair as Vincent made careful notes on a yellow legal pad while Squall had lost himself in the depths of ancient Hyne worship and sorceresses of the past. History -- the passage of time -- it all scared him a little. Yet he didn't take much joy in the present, either.

"Vincent?"

"Hands-on over lectures..." Vincent replied, somewhat absently, still writing. "If that's okay with you."

"Fine, but... why did you buy this?"

Finally focusing, Vincent brought the end of his pen to his lips before quickly pulling it back. Squall couldn't help but wonder if Vincent had once smoked. Little details like that were still deeply entrenched in the mystery that was Instructor Valentine.

"The world I am from focused very much on cycles of power - birth, life, death... going back to the planet... power and magic were in there, but magic wasn't as natural as it is here..." Vincent paused, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts.

"Don't think our GFs are natural," Squall countered, frowning. "We literally give up our identity in order to harness their power. We lose our memories and sometimes our minds."

"I can at least match you on the mind part," Vincent said, resting the pen back near his mouth. "But we had no greater god who so proved power... Just ideas... Except for a poor soul turned madman."

Squall couldn't help but be quiet. Usually during their conversations they talked about Balamb or Garden or students - not Vincent and certainly not anything that sounded so amazingly personal. And while Squall was no master of emotion by a long shot, he could sense that the story Vincent was telling was an extremely personal tale.

"I cannot say..." Vincent continued. "I cannot say that I'm really at peace with your use of GFs or Esthar's cybernetically enhanced soldiers. But it is done humanely and at the discretion of those taking the risks, which is much more than I can say for the world I am from."

There was a pause. Vincent looked out the window into the fading purple of the sunset for a moment before sighing.

"I believe I should save my reminiscence for another time," Vincent finally announced, setting his pen down after capping the end he hadn't been nearly chewing on.

"I'll listen," Squall finally said. "Whenever you want - I'll listen."

"You're a good man," Vincent said as he stood. "But don't offer to take on my sins once you hear them. I can bear the weight on my own."

Complicated. Vincent was certainly complicated. Squall knew well enough that Vincent was the victim of some sort of inhumane testing. But Squall had certainly never made a connection between whatever could have happened to Vincent and the purely voluntary enhancements of the Estharian military. Besides, every beautiful and rather anonymous Estharian soldier that Squall had spent the night with had certainly never had a single complaint about their situation.

What a tangent to go off on, Squall thought, snapping back to the moment and trying to think of something to say to Vincent. But he had nothing. Nothing.

"Dinner?" he finally asked.

"Yes," Vincent replied. "But I'd prefer to dine on my own this evening. Another time, Commander."

Right. Another time.

~*~

"Good," Vincent said, dropping his hands to his sides. "Now, could you shoot a man like that?"

The student, Aiden Dundas, only blinked as he looked at both the gun in his hands and the dead grat several yards away.

"If Grace had been hired by someone trying to kill you, could you kill her?"

Squall knew that it was forced ice in Vincent's voice. The students had to learn that after so long it wasn't about killing grats. It was about killing other humans, when need-be.

"Me?" Grace squeaked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at Vincent. "Why me?"

"Why not you?" Vincent replied. "So, Aiden, could you?"

"If I had to, I guess," Aiden answered, voice shaking a bit. Squall couldn't help but make a mental note of the response. Aiden was already heading towards what Squall considered a case-of-Irvine - freezing at the most inopportune moment. Not something desirable in a SeeD at all.

But then again, Squall was very much spying on the proceedings, not officially there to take notes. So perhaps the things said were not open for critique by anyone but the present instructor, Vincent.

The term was halfway over and things had settled down quite a bit, even for Instructor Valentine. Dozens of daily apples settled into about one-dozen, which Vincent routinely gave away to his last class of the day. Occasionally he ate one himself and always seemed to make sure there was one particularly juicy one left for Squall, not that Squall had ever commented on that tiny fact.

"Hey!" Grace gave Aiden a playful smack with the flat side of her sword. It wasn't the most versatile of weapons, but she had insisted. Between her and Aiden, they obviously needed the after-dinner training exercise that Vincent was offering them. The whole thing explained why Vincent had been so quick to leave dinner as well. The pair still ate together fairly frequently, though thankfully in public often enough to put a stop to most of the inappropriate rumors.

"Instructor is the one who asked," Aiden said quickly, laughing instead of being angry. "So if Instructor sent me on a mission to kill you, I guess I'd have to."

"But Instructor wouldn't," Grace replied, pouting. Soft blonde hair framed her face, short enough for it to not need to be bound back. "Would you?"

"War does strange things," Vincent said, pointing off to their right. "There's another creature there. Sounds larger than a grat. Kill it."

At least, Squall noted, there was no impropriety there. Grace was an obvious flirt and certainly was still near the top of the list of Vincent's fans. Surely this wasn't so much of a test of Vincent's students as it as a test of the man himself. Squall was quite happy to watch - Vincent had yet to make further comment on just what made him tick and certainly Squall didn't want to push.

Crouched down in the brush, Squall was certain he was hidden both visually and aurally from Vincent's keen senses. He'd actually been there for a few minutes before he'd been lucky enough to have Vincent's party stumble in his direction. And knowing Aiden, there was stumbling involved.

A gunshot rang out, and a split second later, Squall heard Aiden's triumphant cry. He couldn't see them now, but he didn't dare risk moving. Finally, when it seemed that he was very much alone save for a few creatures that absolutely didn't care about him being in their midst, Squall pulled out a small notebook and made a few notes fresh from his mind. He did have staff reviews to do, after all, and at the moment, Vincent's was nothing more than nearly-garish glowing.

"Evening, Commander."

If Squall had ever been the jumpy sort, he would have hit the roof of Garden. He looked up into unnaturally red eyes, wondering just how Vincent had gotten so close. In battle, this would be the moment of his death. Instead, Vincent just reached out with his flesh hand and touched Squall's shoulder.

"You are it."

Yes, Squall thought, now he was suitably embarrassed.

"Don't worry," Vincent continued. "I didn't actually realize you were there until we were heading away."

"Aiden seems to be improving," Squall said, trying not to show any emotion.

"Only because I keep literally holding his hand. I can understand why the students get moon-eyed over instructors like Miss Quistis or Mister Nida, but why me?" Lacking his cloak, Vincent's metal hand caught the light and sparkled for just a moment, drawing Squall's gaze.

"You aren't bad looking," Squall said, carefully measuring his words. "But maybe this world is uglier than your last one."

Vincent couldn't help a chuckle. "You certainly can ruin a fit of self-loathing."

"I've always had someone to ruin mine," Squall replied, standing up and brushing the dirt from his backside. He tucked his notebook away and looked at Vincent again. "Whom I should call, actually. I haven't heard from her in quite some time..."

"Give the Lady my regards," Vincent said softly. He didn't actually know Rinoa, but staying at Garden had certainly told him tales of her. Squall could only imagine what Vincent must have learned from varying sources, especially about their spectacular break-up and later alliance which everyone saw as less of an alliance and more of a second-wind to their relationship.

Which certainly wasn't the truth at all since Squall still shuddered at the thought of her in bed. Which was not the thing to be thinking about, nor was the moment in Esthar in which he realized that it wasn't just her, it was girls which... Which...

Where had Vincent gone?

Vincent made him absolutely stupid. Not the absent-minded, contagious stupid that came from being around Laguna, but instead an uneasy stupid where Squall seemed prone to lose his cool and misthink or get distracted.

It didn't matter. He was now mentally prepared to call Rinoa and certainly an opportunity like that wasn't anything to take lightly. Vincent could be handled another day, once Squall figured out just how he actually felt.

Up in his office, Squall leaned back in his chair, sighing before finally grabbing the phone and speed-dialing Rinoa's residence in Timber.

"Hello?" At first Squall didn't recognize the voice. But after a second, he realized it was Zone.

"Evening," Squall said. "Is everything okay there? Rinoa hasn't called."

"Squall!"

Yeah, he probably should have mentioned that first, instead of jumping into business.

"So..." This did not have to be a long conversation. This did not have to be...

"I'll let Rinoa explain, I guess." This was going to be a long conversation.

There were a few thumps and thuds as the phone transferred hands, and some muffled whispering.

"Squall!" Yet there was no real enthusiasm. It sounded fake and pained.

"Something is wrong."

"I was hoping to know a little more before trying to explain," Rinoa said, her voice falling flat before settling into a conversational tone. "I guess I can't hide much from you."

"I'm not going to condemn you," Squall said. "I just thought to check in. You know, pay some actual attention to you."

"I'll let that go," Rinoa replied. "But only because this is something big and scary."

"Continue."

"Well, you know how the planet is slowly righting itself after everything that happened? Like the cross-dimensional whatsit thingie and the outbreaks of monsters and slight climate changes and everything?" Rinoa's voice was no longer calm.

"Yes, and?" Squall did not have a good feeling about this. There was no way to have a good feeling about this.

"Apparently in the process of settling, um, the world, there was some... Squall! I don't know how to say this... There can't just be one sorceress, I guess. It isn't natural..."

No, this was not good.

"You're saying you..."

"I can feel others," Rinoa interrupted. "Nothing like what I have - nothing could ever be like this. But that doesn't mean they aren't there now. After all, magic is a balance. So for all the monsters we've killed, their magic has to go somewhere, right? It must be being recycled --"

"But with Time..."

"Squall, we changed all of that. We changed everything. Which is why all of this is happening!"

"Out of the frying pan, into the fire," Squall commented.

"That makes you sound like an old man."

"So where are they? These new powers you sense?"

"I'm not a dowsing stick," Rinoa complained. "I just know that they're out there. If I get a better read, I'll let you know! But until then, Squall, don't tell anyone. There's no reason to worry."

"Sorceresses are always a reason to worry," Squall said, no longer leaning back. "I may be able to handle random trans-dimensional visitors, but Sorceresses..."

"Let me worry about them," Rinoa pleaded. "I'll call you every day if it'll make you relax a little."

Squall knew Rinoa well enough that he'd again be lucky to get a call once a week. And it was too late anyway, he was worrying.

"Rinoa..."

"Isn't it late there?" Rinoa asked suddenly. "You should probably be in bed. Goodnight, Commander!"

The phone clicked dead and out of force of habit, Squall unplugged the device and dumped it into his garbage can. Xu would know enough to pull it out before emptying the can anyway. Maybe he did need to go to bed. Certainly it wasn't like the day would turn around and everyone would start farting rainbows and kittens.

Though that was one of the more amusing thoughts he could have.

If Rinoa would indeed step up and worry about the Sorceresses on her own, then he could worry a bit about just why he cared so much about Vincent's moods.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then Esthar.

Squall was thankful for his jacket as a chilly wind wrapped through the elevated sidewalks of Esthar and attempted to settle into his bones. But familiar leather thwarted that, and Squall kept walking, unsure of just where he was walking to. But he had to get out of the palace and outside of the palace was, well, somewhere out on the high sidewalks, nearly to the mall so entrenched in his memories.

Stopping to sit on a bench outside the shopping center, Squall looked upwards, wishing he could see the stars that rested beyond the neon haze of the city. The semester had ended well - everything was going well. Vincent had earned the respect of the rest of the faculty. At least one of his students had completely turned around in the course of just a few months, looking to actually pass his exam at the end of the next semester.

Esthar was not his idea. But he was there anyway, because Laguna wanted it and because saying no to Laguna wasn't really an option. Not after Laguna had delivered Vincent to his doorstep. Not for a lot of reasons.

When he'd wandered out to roam the darkening streets, Squall had left Vincent with Laguna, their conversation rich and animated. Almost painfully, Squall admitted to himself that he'd forgotten that Vincent was much closer to Laguna's age than his own. They had more in common.

It looked as though everyone was shopping, leaving with great fluttering bags of what had to be gifts. For Esthar, it was rare - shopping was usually done from home. But there was no longer time to wait for deliveries. Three holidays in a week in Esthar, two celebrated worldwide, and Squall found himself not wanting to care. He'd left trinkets for his friends and staff already and had something for Laguna. All of that was something clockwork that took little thought. Years before he did all the shopping, be it for weapons or medicine or things for GFs. Shopping was not as hard as people made it out to be.

But something for Vincent was difficult and now it was only three days before the Darkest Night festival, the ages old night of reveling and lighting candles against the dark as well as passing along gifts to those to bring them joy - to stave off their own darkness.

As if somehow there was something that could hold a figurative candle to the blackness that Vincent hid within that wouldn't immediately be snuffed out. Vincent didn't open up, didn't speak about his own past. Squall felt as though he was an open book in comparison, telling tales of the Shumi and space, hoping that Vincent might say something in return.

Not since the moment before the semester, when Vincent had lamented the falling of a god, had Squall heard so much as two joined sentences about the world Vincent was from. It was nearly infuriating, because Vincent still made him stupid, doing things better or more effectively. Never mind that Vincent was three times his age and some sort of physically mottled demigod.

It really was getting cold. Squall got up and turned to head back. At least the wind would be at his rear, blowing him onward and attempting to freeze other parts of his anatomy. A pair of blond boys passed him almost incidentally, but his mind was already wanting to turn them into Seifer and Zell before wondering about everyone he hadn't seen lately.

Selphie was still rebuilding Trabia Garden, making it stronger and better than it had been but certainly letting the memory of those lost live on within its walls.

Rinoa had cryptically refused an offer to come to Esthar, making Squall worry more but keeping it in the far back of his mind. Certainly just because he couldn't sleep with her didn't mean he didn't still care about her with a different sort of passion. The threat of another Sorceress War was something Squall didn't want to think of, so he didn't. He couldn't be any more prepared, after all, so worrying was not going to get him anywhere.

Zell was with the Shumi, studying craftsmanship and art in ways that he'd always wanted. And a sabbatical from battle was something Squall felt strongly about. Zell wasn't the strongest emotionally and still bore quite a few non-physical scars from the final showdown with Ultimecia. And certainly, Squall had never forgotten the blond clinging to him back at the prison years before.

Seifer was still living off the sea, unwilling to take up arms again, something Squall never wanted to admit that he admired. Somehow, he didn't think he'd ever be anything but a soldier and looking at Seifer and company so easily going off to do something else... Squall looked up at where he wished the stars would be and wondered what else he could ever do.

Quistis never left his side, save for times like these. She was his confidant, and despite him never saying a word about Vincent to her, he knew she knew. She would know. She was good at sensing his deeper motivations.

And Irvine... That was a bit funny, but in the growing cold as Squall realized he was nearly back to the palace, it was not something to actually laugh over. For the right amount, Irvine had been contracted off as a bodyguard to a wealthy merchant who had specifically asked for a very pretty boy. Letters came on occasion, but little more.

Yes, nothing short of another Sorceress War would ever get them together again.

"Leonhart!"

Squall turned at his name, the wind whipping his face as he was met with an unexpected sight.

"Bekele", he said softly, meeting the gaze of the younger, blond Estharian soldier. They'd met as a result of Laguna's meddling, assigning Bekele to act as half-escort, half-tour guide a few years before when Squall had taken an extended vacation to Esthar to study their military's structure.

"Up for a drink?" Bekele asked, gesturing off down another path.

Nodding, Squall watched the wind whip Bekele's shoulder-length hair, unusually unbound and not hidden by traditional Estharian garb. He could only wonder how strange he looked in all black when surrounded by robed natives and the occasional grey-suited soldier.

"Night off?" Squall finally asked in return.

"I wasn't out here looking for you, if that's what you're asking," Bekele replied, green eyes cutting the darkness.

"I know," Squall said, wondering how far into the depths of the city Bekele was going to lead him. The farther, though, was likely the better.

And in silence they walked together, ignoring the now-howling wind as they slid into a dive of a bar. The place was nearly empty but the barkeep seemed to know Bekele. Squall sat at a table in the corner, trusting Bekele to bring him whatever Bekele thought he needed.

Nida had propositioned him once, but that was when very drunk. And Squall had actually thought he was falling in love with Bekele. But Nida had bounced, thankfully.

Xu was Xu, unwavering.

He wasn't alone. No...

Bekele shoved a glass in front of him and without paying it much attention, Squall downed much of it in one go.

No, he did not love Bekele, nor could he. Other soldiers, other nights... He didn't want to fall in love, he just wanted someone who could be a constant who didn't demand much in return.

"Squall?"

Was it so much to not really know what he wanted?

Instead of replying, he just let Bekele kiss him, lips hot on his own, tasting of a slightly different drink. They weren't going to stay in the bar long, not as Bekele kissed him again, deeper, eliciting lust with his tongue and letting a metal-veined hand slide beneath the lip of the table.

Bekele's hands were still on him as he shakily downed the rest of his drink. The barkeep was watching them, sending them along with a gaze.

Squall found himself stealing kisses on the walk back, not sure why he was agreeing to this but glad that someone wanted his company as a light snow started to fall around them.

No one batted an eye as Squall led Bekele into the palace, past guards and more advanced security. Commander Leonhart could do as he pleased in Esthar, Presidential Decree...

His mind bounced back to Rinoa, not wanting to be so distant from her, flashing back to the moments when his sexuality objected to their bond. He'd have to call her later and insist she come Esthar.

But Bekele made Squall file that away for later as he pinned Squall against a hallway wall, pushing leather away from warmth underneath and forgetting the metal in his fingers kept the cold in ways unfair.

Shivering, Squall returned kisses, fisting his hands in Bekele's hair and forgetting to wonder just how strong that drink had been, wanting to blame it but knowing that desire coursed deeper than alcohol.

Who... who did he desire?

Once inside his room, similar to any other guest room but reserved just for his visits, Squall stopped worrying about anything incidental and shed his responsibility along with his clothing. He nearly lost his footing as Bekele dropped to his knees in the middle of the room to pull inches of Squall's arousal into his mouth.

"Tease..." Squall muttered, trying to swallow a moan but failing. Bekele was still over-dressed, a strange contrast to Squall's near-nude. But that would change soon enough.

Parts of his nights with Bekele were escaping him, something he didn't want to admit. He was only keeping one GF with him most of the time, but it was enough to take small moments in large doses. But Bekele's tongue on the underside of his arousal felt familiar. No... he was not going to be able to stay on his feet for much longer.

"Bekele..." Squall pulled away, reaching for the bed and thankfully managing to fall onto it. A moment later, Bekele was naked beside him, pulling at the last of Squall's clothing before pushing Squall onto his stomach.

"Go ahead," Squall whispered, not really wishing for anything more drawn out than what Bekele was offering. They'd have more time, anyway, the rest of the week... Squall grabbed at a pillow as he felt the cool of Bekele's fingers slide over his hips.

Metal. Squall moaned as cold touched his opening, cool only for a second before his body threatened heat. Would Vincent be as cold with that claw? Would he even use it, sharp shining metal over sensitive flesh... As he was stretched by Bekele's strong fingers, Squall couldn't help but think of Vincent, wondering what it would be like to be in bed beneath that sort of raw power so cleverly veiled in willowy form.

Bekele thrust into him, not pausing as they both moaned, building to a quick rhythm matched by one of Bekele's hands shoved between Squall and the bed, stroking Squall's arousal roughly. Feeling much like he was being pressed down into the bed, Squall gasped for breath, clinging to the pillow as pleasure coursed through his body. He could feel every inch of Bekele's arousal penetrating him, delicious friction each time Bekele pulled back to thrust again. He could feel metal against his erection, thin strands and solder along with warm skin wanting to take him from his body and to a place of bliss.

"Come," Bekele urged, leaning close over Squall, moving slower, trying to prevent his own release. "Come..."

The pillow muffled his orgasm as he grabbed at it, feeling Bekele's release more than hearing it midway through his own release. Bekele didn't move, instead laying on top of Squall, kissing the back of Squall's neck and toying with the chain of Squall's necklace.

"You're heavy," Squall muttered, once he remembered how to do simple things like mutter.

"A true romantic," Bekele replied, rolling to the side and letting Squall turn to face him.

"Since when are you after true romance?" Squall asked, letting Bekele drape an arm over him. "We agreed not to..."

"You're too serious," Bekele interrupted. "I'll give you more booze next time."

Squall shook his head. Yes, this was the Bekele he knew. "We should sleep."

"We should," the blond cyborg agreed, smirking. "So in the morning we'll be rested enough for something more intense than five minutes..."

"Sleep," Squall reiterated, rolling over to prove his point. Bekele pulled a blanket over them both before curling up against Squall, still holding him.

Bekele's breathing evened out long before Squall even felt more than physically tired. He'd wanted to do that, but he hadn't meant to do that because he hadn't really wanted to do that. No, it was okay but he shouldn't have been thinking of Vincent.

He needed to call Rinoa in the morning. The Darkest Night she could miss, but something inside of him wanted her close for Sorceress Remembrance, the strange day that came just days after where children pretended to cast spells and the few good sorceresses of the world were remembered with praise.

And in Esthar, despite it not being any particular anniversary of anything, there was a glorious state holiday celebrating Laguna's triumph over Adel, of man over the wicked... It may have just been an excuse for a holiday, but it rounded out a week of celebration.

Not even realizing he'd fallen asleep, not that he thought he really could realize if he fell asleep, Squall opened his eyes to daylight pouring into the room through shades not closed the night before. Bekele had at least rolled to the other side of the bed, looking like some story book character sprung to life in a tangle of blond and white sheets over pale skin traced through by spun silver. Bekele deserved someone better, someone stable who would be there for him. No matter what Bekele had said, Squall was now fairly sure that his friend had been tipped off and had been out searching. After all, black leather was fairly conspicuous in Esthar.

The knock at his door wasn't too surprising. Stumbling from the bed, Squall grabbed at the floor for his pants, pulling them on just as he reached the knob. He just hoped it wasn't Laguna. That sort of cheerfulness would not be welcome just yet. And Kiros... Kiros would likely accidentally comment about Bekele and nothing good would come of it. Because Kiros didn't like Laguna trying to meddle in everything.

He remembered he actually had to turn the knob for the door to open. And in the second it took for his sleep-blurred blue eyes to realize they were looking into beautifully unnatural red, Squall just stood there, grasping at the doorframe.

"Good morning," Vincent said, snapping Squall to a more useful form of alertness. His head hurt, but not as bad as some of the hangovers he'd had. What had Bekele given him, anyway? Gasoline?

"Morning," he managed in reply, suddenly realizing that in no way could he close the door a little more without it being obvious. Not that it mattered -- no matter what the angle, the bed had to be in plain view. Vincent would know. Vincent would likely assume.

Squall imagined himself as his Garden telephone, impolitely dumped into his own garbage can to be retrieved later by Xu, only he didn't want to be retrieved.

"Laguna asked if I could rouse you and let you know that breakfast will be served in a half hour," Vincent said flatly. "I'm sure your company will be more than welcome as well."

"Vin..." No. Now was certainly not the time to say anything.

"Yes?"

"Nothing," Squall said quickly. "See you at breakfast."

And he closed the door quickly, hoping that perhaps he'd get to wake up all over again and give everything a second try, an un-stupid second try.

Nothing.

So breakfast would have to be had -- likely the most awkward breakfast of his life directly after the breakfast after the night he and Rinoa had attempted to consummate their relationship. Save that by the end of breakfast, they'd both been smiling and agreeing that obviously things weren't meant to be for them.

There were no possible good notes to end this interlude on, though.

He needed a shower. Bekele... was still fast asleep. Some soldier...

Staggering beneath hot water, Squall washed away the last remnants of the night before and the stickiness of sleep-sweat. Not bothering to do anything with his hair, he grabbed the white fluffy robe from the back of the door and finally went to wake up Bekele.

The bed was empty. Rejected again...

His empty stomach sank at the thought that perhaps Bekele hadn't been asleep for the exchange with Vincent. Bekele had always been scarily observant. Oh... Sitting down on the bed, Squall wondered how he was supposed to face anyone now, whether it be Bekele or Vincent or even Laguna who would likely hear about everything from someone.

Ten minutes until breakfast, time zones be damned, Squall reached over and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" a groggy female voice answered. "Squall?"

"Rinoa... How'd you know it was me?"

"I felt you," she answered, sounding a bit more awake. "Like I used to."

"Come to Esthar... for Remembrance, at least," Squall said, wondering if Rinoa had been waiting for his call. She'd been so quick to answer.

"Squall..."

"I haven't seen you in a year," Squall replied quickly. "And... everything you've been mentioning... The others... Rinoa..."

"I'll come," Rinoa said. "But you have to take me out dancing in return."

Squall groaned. Always, always with the dancing. But at least now he had something to dread more than breakfast with Vincent.

"The guards know you," Squall finally said. "Just come to the palace. I'll see you then."

"You're the master of small talk," Rinoa replied. "Later."

"Yeah..."

Instead of hanging up, he unplugged the phone and flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling for a minute before deciding that the only thing he really could do was get dressed and go to breakfast.

Because as much as he didn't want to go, he did want proof that it really was a better option than taking Rinoa down to one of the free-form dance clubs populating the southern part of the city.

As long, of course, as he absolutely did not have to answer any questions or meet anyone's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this finishes up the 'old' part of this story--


	4. Chapter 4

Squall walked slowly down to breakfast, hopeful that if he went slowly enough, breakfast would be over and he could excuse himself for the day.

He had no such luck.

"No Bekele?" Laguna asked as Squall seated himself. Vincent barely glanced his way from where he sat beside Kiros.

"Probably had to get back," Squall explained softly. "I ran into him and he dragged me out for a drink."

"I'd gotten a chair..."

Squall nodded. He'd noticed.

"Rinoa's coming."

"Oh."

"She can stay in my room," Squall said. "Or as close as possible..."

Finally there was a flicker of interest from Vincent's direction. It wasn't that he couldn't stand Rinoa - he was fairly sure he loved her - he just didn't have any sort of sexual interest in her.

That would probably just pervert their relationship anyway.

Laguna smiled.

"I'd prefer that," he admitted.

"Rinoa is a sorceress, isn't she?" Vincent asked. He was poking at his waffles.

One of the attendants arrived with Squall's meal.

Kiros nodded.

"Squall is her knight. He'd know first if she became a problem, though whether or not he'd be able to communicate it..."

"Quistis and Xu monitor his behavior," Laguna interrupted. "Making sure there are no sorceress-related incidents is an international matter and since Rinoa and Squall are..."

Squall stopped paying attention. He didn't want to tell Laguna that Rinoa was afraid that there were more women receiving power. Not until he knew more. Not until Rinoa was sure that something was happening. 

"Squall!"

He looked up to a vision in white and smiled.

"Ellone!" Laguna exclaimed as he stood. He got the first hug, but she clung to Squall longer.

"Rinoa's coming," Squall whispered to her before letting her go.

"Good," she whispered back. And then she turned to Vincent. She smiled.

"There was another disturbance," Ellone said as she sat down in the empty seat that had been added for Bekele. "Near where the White SeeD ship was."

"Oh?" Vincent asked.

"We didn't find anything, be we did get readings. I can't reproduce anything on my own. Rinoa might, though... So you could go home."

There was a bit of silence.

"It isn't necessary," Vincent finally said. "I don't deserve special attention or indulgence."

"Don't you want to go home?" Ellone asked.

"I have no reasons to return," Vincent concluded. He poked a waffle.

More silence.

"Is everyone's Darkest Night shopping finished?" Laguna asked after a minute. He smiled.

Ellone frowned.

"Squall?" she asked. "Would you like to carry my bags?"

~*~

Despite Esthar's usual mode of shopping being done entirely by computer and courier, Darkest Night seemed to bring out... well, everyone. Storefronts were brightly lit and crowds were bustling around touching everything and comparing colors in ways that they obviously couldn't do at home. 

With the crowds as dense as they were in the first mall, Squall wasn't even sure that any computer orders would get delivered on time. Everything might be sold out before shipping. He didn't really like being out with an entire herd of people, not when he was also trying to get his head clear and think about Rinoa and Ellone and... Vincent. 

Stalls were even set up to gift-wrap things, Squall noticed. Well, he'd have to take advantage of that, if nothing else. His shopping list was fairly short - Ellone, Kiros, Ward, Bekele... and Vincent.

Mostly, Ellone was the one shopping...

And talking, too.

Between stores, Ellone filled him in on everything she'd been doing. And Squall filled her in on Vincent. 

Her questions weren't quite the ones that Squall was expecting, however. Not entirely, at least. But it kept Vincent thoroughly in his thoughts. 

"A shared body? How does that work?" Ellone questioned. 

"I don't know," Squall admitted. "I only saw it happen the one time and I haven't asked. To be honest, it might just be a GF and he just doesn't understand how they work."

"Do you want me to find out?" Ellone asked as she leaned close to rest a hand on his arm. He couldn't escape the look that she was giving him and honestly, Squall wasn't sure he wanted to. His time was Ellone was always so rare and fleeting that he almost felt like he was dreaming, getting her for an entire day. "I'm sure I could."

"Sis..."

"I'll ask first," Ellone said quickly. "Maybe I can send you back into his memories?"

"Maybe." Squall really wasn't sure he wanted to go, based on what Vincent had hinted at. 

"What's his favorite color?" Ellone quickly looked over to a rack of soft scarves in a rainbow of colors. Squall tried not to frown. He didn't have Ellone to himself - he was sharing her with the entire mall and an entire holiday. 

"Black is always safe." Squall wasn't sure how he was supposed to know. That wasn't something he ever asked people, though sometimes he did know if they'd either told him or he'd figured it out because they wore a lot of things in that color. At least he thought that was how it worked. 

"I mean, I know I just met him, but I don't want him to feel left out," Ellone said as she reached to run her fingers over the scarves. "It should be okay to get him something small, even if he's not getting me anything."

"Something," Squall agreed. He'd gotten Vincent a couple of old books, but those were back in Balamb, and he hadn't intended them as official presents. And so far in this expedition, he'd managed only to find things for Rinoa and Kiros. Sad, really. But nothing had jumped out as the right gift for either Ward or Ellone. 

"I know the students all really like him... They're not put off by his appearance?" Ellone asked as she moved on to peer into another storefront. She had bags already, which Squall was carrying, but he didn't know what was in them. 

"Not at all. They think he's a handsome guy. His fan club could rival Quistis's." Squall wondered if he hadn't told her all of this over the phone, but their calls were never long and tended to be broken up by long bursts of static. Definitely, he spoke with Rinoa more. 

"There is something about him," Ellone agreed. "You're fond of him?"

"Yeah, I... Wait..." He'd almost reached for a shop door, but he froze and turned. "Ellone?"

"Mmm?" She was trying to look perfectly innocent, and maybe she was, but it felt like a double-edged question. 

"Nothing," Squall replied. "You know... Rinoa needs to get here. We all need to talk."

Ellone nodded. And was wise enough not to verbally note how very quickly Squall had changed the subject. But there was a hint of a smile on her face that was Squall knew was aimed directly at him.

~*~

Bekele appeared halfway through the afternoon, after Squall and Ellone had stuffed themselves from carts that had set up to form a make-shift food court.

"Sorry I had to run," he said, wincing and looking from Squall to Ellone and back. "Had to cover a patrol for a buddy who did even more drinking than we did."

"You could have left a note," Squall replied flatly. "That made breakfast awkward."

"I did leave a note," Bekele replied. He blinked and frowned. "Apparently in the wrong spot? I'm sorry about breakfast."

Squall sighed. "It's okay. It doesn't matter." It didn't. Not really. Ellone kept giving him even stranger looks, though, as the three of them headed down to the next corridor of shops. 

But there really wasn't a good time to explain that Bekele was just a friend, often with benefits.

A maid had straightened his room while he was out. Bekele's note was resting beside the phone. 

Bekele, however, had yet again been summoned off to work. 

~*~

Not knowing when Rinoa would arrive, Squall let Laguna spirit Ellone away for dinner. He knew they'd be up talking until dawn and couldn't blame either of them. Though that left him at a bit of a loss -- Vincent hadn't put in an appearance at all, nor did Squall expect him to.

After slipping down to the kitchens to grab a sandwich for himself, Squall wandered up to one of the higher parts of the palace where he knew there was a sort of parlor with an amazing view of the city. 

He wasn't expecting to find Vincent there as well. 

"Nice view," Vincent commented as he watched Squall hesitate and then settle near the window. 

"Yeah. I'm not entirely surprised you found it." Squall did his best not to sigh. He just didn't really know what to say to Vincent - they were normally casual around each other, but this trip had some sort of tension attached that Squall couldn't put his finger on. Well, aside from Ellone insisting there had to be mutual crushes at work. Though honestly, Squall was sure he didn't get crushes. Honestly... But... 

He was probably thinking too hard about everything. 

"Actually, Mr. Kiros directed me up here," Vincent replied. A silence settled over them as Squall awkwardly ate. Every other bite, he'd flick his gaze over to Vincent, but Vincent was mostly looking out the window. It had started to snow light, fluffy flakes that Squall didn't think would really stick. 

Squall finished his sandwich and gave his plate an absent little push on the table he'd set it on. 

Vincent finally looked over at him. "So what is it that you're not saying?"

Squall frowned. He had a thousand thoughts stacked up. He was definitely far more worried about Rinoa than he was going to let on. Well, he was worried about sorceresses. But about her, too. 

His mustard had tasted a little funny, but that was probably more a local thing than something actually being wrong with it. No one would actually try to off Laguna via mustard. Laguna was a cockroach, if nothing else. It would take far more than a tainted sandwich or two to do him in. 

Shiva would like to see it snowing. 

And yes, Vincent was attractive but now was not the time to get into any of that. Not with the tension hanging between them. 

"A lot of things," Squall finally admitted. "I wouldn't know where to begin."

"Is that why you aren't out?" Vincent questioned. There was no nuance of tone or expression that gave Squall any indication of exactly why he was asking. 

It made Squall hesitate. He didn't think it was accusing, just curiosity... Well, it wasn't like he'd explained a lot either. But Squall didn't think he needed to explain. 

"I think I did enough walking earlier. What did you spent the day doing?" Squall was fairly sure he needed to turn the conversation around. Hopefully this would do it. 

"Laguna explained about Esthar's cyborg soldier program and took me on a tour to prove how humane it truly is," Vincent replied with an odd little smile. "I saw your friend--"

"Bekele?" Squall tried not to wince. "Yeah... sorry about this morning."

"Hmm?"

"I think I could have found a way to spare you the view..."

"I'm not terribly concerned..."

"Ellone insisted it was the faux pas of the century."

"As compared to anything Laguna has done in the last twenty-four hours?" Vincent questioned. 

Squall blinked. They both chuckled. All of the tension started to melt away.

But before Squall could say anything else, a maid knocked once and then slipped into the room. 

"Mr. Leonhart, Miss Heartilly has arrived."

"Thank you," Squall said with a little nod. He looked back to Vincent and gestured. "Shall we go?"

"Of course." Vincent quickly glanced down at his attire - Squall didn't miss that little fact. But Vincent was in a white button-down shirt and black dress pants. He looked good and honestly... Well, he looked good. Squall wasn't going to keep thinking about it. 

Rinoa was settling into the suite across from Squall's, though her luggage was forgotten the moment she saw Squall. She pulled him into a tight hug and didn't let go right away.

"I'm sorry I turned you down the first time," she whispered. "This feels like the right place to be."

"Only if your shopping is done," Squall replied. Rinoa's hair smelled good. And the purple sweater she was wearing was soft against his skin. 

"Is yours?" Rinoa questioned with a little smile as she pulled back.

"Yes, because Ellone needed someone to carry her bags," Squall replied, echoing her smile. 

"Ah... Oh!" Rinoa peeked past Squall to where Vincent was lingering in the doorway. "Is that...?"

Squall nodded. "Rinoa, this is my friend and colleague, Vincent Valentine. And Vincent, this is my friend and sorceress, Rinoa Heartilly."

"A pleasure," Rinoa said with a soft smile as slipped over to him. "Squall has told me so much about you."

Vincent looked surprised for a moment before he, too, smiled. "The pleasure is all mine," he said as he offered her his good hand. "And likewise, I've heard quite a bit about you."

Rinoa took his hand and gave a little curtsey. "So the ice queen has been chatty?"

"I can hear you," Squall noted flatly. 

"Apparently?" Vincent replied to Rinoa. Rinoa giggled softly before stepping back. 

"So, are we dancing tonight or another night? I keep losing track of the days," she said. 

"Tomorrow night, everything will close early for the holiday," Squall said. "You're probably tired from--"

"Sitting all day? No, I'm fine." Rinoa looked quickly to Vincent. "You'll come too, right? And Ellone?" 

Squall counted the beats til Vincent's inevitable refusal. 

"I suppose I could."

For a moment, Squall thought he'd heard wrong. But no, Vincent had indeed just agreed to go dancing with Rinoa. Of course, he and Vincent had just been discussing Estharian culture, to a degree, but there was a difference between volunteer cyborgs and dance clubs. A big one. 

"Meet back here in an hour, then," Rinoa said. "I'll fine Ellone and then we can go. I'll worry about shopping tomorrow."

She smiled and Squall nodded. He understood - it'd be good to have a bit of fun before getting to all the deep, worrisome stuff. He understood. 

"I can just go like this, can't I?" Vincent questioned once he and Squall were back in the hallway. "I don't need to wear a hood?"

Squall shook his head. "You're fine. I'm fine. And you'll see plenty of people dressed down at the place we're going." He paused. "I'm just surprised you agreed."

And then it hit him-- Vincent was a nice, single guy and Rinoa was a nice, flirty single girl. Maybe...

"I would like to see more of the city-- There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Again, Vincent's tone was so neutral that Squall couldn't really infer anything from it. 

Squall shook his head. "It's fine. And you don't have to dance. I don't know if Ellone will. Maybe you two can hold the bar down." Unless, he thought, Vincent did want to dance with Rinoa. He didn't quite seem like the dancing type, but... 

Squall just didn't know. He really didn't know. 

~*~ 

"Remind me that taking Rinoa dancing is not an exercise for the faint of heart," Vincent commented as he and Squall dragged themselves into Squall's room.

"Tomorrow it'll be all business," Squall replied as he flopped into an easy chair. "Don't worry." He paused. "Well, business and shopping. I'll assume yours is done?"

"I may have to pick up something for Rinoa," Vincent said. "Her wings... remind me..."

Squall didn't ask what Vincent was going to say. He just exhaled and looked over to where Vincent had flopped in a matching chair. 

"I'm glad she's here."

Vincent nodded. "You two have such interesting chemistry," he said, obviously thinking. Squall knew what he was looking for the words to voice--

"It's still a little frustrating to us that it couldn't carry over into a romantic-- well, physical relationship," Squall admitted. No point in beating around that bush. "Even if the connection wasn't exactly our choice... it's okay. There were times when it wasn't necessarily okay, but now it's okay."

"One doesn't always get a choice in some of the most important matters," Vincent said. There was something far-away in his voice and he flexed his metal fingers. "If I've learned anything, especially from being here, it's that the decisions made going forward become even more important..."

He sighed and gazed a long moment at Squall. Squall didn't look away from that strange ruby-red. 

Squall tried not to do anything other than listen as slowly, Vincent started telling a story.

It was a long story, Squall knew. It was a painful story. But Vincent was finally telling it, which made Squall feel a little strange in the back of his throat. After all of the ups and downs of the day - Bekele, Ellone and shopping, Rinoa and dancing... Vincent and strange conversations that barely seemed to be about anything while still being about everything...

Squall listened, shrugging off his jacket carefully and letting it crumple onto the floor beside his chair. He was tired but did his best not to yawn, listening even when Vincent's voice started to waver into the realm of dreamy. Perhaps it was just the story that Vincent was telling... 

His eyes were heavy and his body exhausted. But finally, as dawn threatened Esthar, Squall understood. When Vincent said he had no real desire to return, Squall knew why.

So now what was he supposed to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! (Though a few edits may happen before Ch. 5 goes up.)


	5. Chapter 5

Squall was the last one to slide into one of the Garden cars before the small caravan headed out away from Garden and Balamb proper. Not too far - close enough to get back and to medical care in case of a real emergency, but far enough that they wouldn't just be smacking bushes for the same sorts of monsters they already had in the training center. 

He knew where they were headed, because he'd picked the spot. They'd camp for a couple of nights, try some night training, some survival skills, and a few other exercises. Xu had the itinerary. Squall had only decided to tag along at the last minute and mostly because the pile of paperwork on his desk suggested that a weekend getaway was a wonderful option that he should be taking. 

His gunblade was in the back in its case. He had a small duffel but he didn't need much. 

Vincent was wedged in beside him, in the middle of a bench seat with his long legs sort of crunched in. Somehow, Squall had missed the memo that Vincent was the overseeing instructor. 

"We're not going too far," Squall offered with as much reassurance as he could muster. Xu was on his other side, looking equally crunched but in a different way. 

"So I've been reminded."

The students would be driving and locating the campsite using pre-made maps and information sheets. They needed the practice. At least Vincent and Xu wouldn't have any trouble letting the students bumble around for awhile before correcting them. Quistis still tended to jump in. 

Squall had left Garden in her hands. 

~*~

They found the campsite without too many errors, which Xu logged as a line on a legal pad she had balanced on her knees. 

"Not bad," she said as their car pulled into formation in a protective semi-circle that matched the tree-line. The two students who'd been in the front hopped out almost immediately and headed to join their classmates, many of whom were already standing in the clearing and pointing at various things. "Plenty of time to get set-up. Are you two sharing a tent?"

"Hmm?"

Squall had nearly forgotten that necessity. He certainly didn't need his own tent. "Unless you think we should have a student with us. I don't think there's anyone who needs that sort of supervision..."

"It's fine with me," Vincent added quickly. "Possibly better, though I do think we should keep an eye Grace."

"I agree," Xu replied. "However, I have Ildara in my tent because she used to sleepwalk. She hasn't since she's spent more time working with her GF, but it still seems like the safest assignment."

Nodding, Squall opened the door. 

"Come on," he said. "Let's watch them get set-up."

He smiled as Vincent climbed out and stretched. 

"This is the best part, I'm guessing?" he questioned. 

"Yeah," Squall replied. "But we might want to handle our own tent just to be sure it won't collapse on us during the night."

That got Vincent to smile, at least. 

"I have a spot I like, but I want to see where everyone decides a good location will be," Squall continued. 

They waited a few minutes, while there were polite arguments about directions, potential rain, where fire-pits and latrines should go, until finally the first tent was on the ground and half-unrolled. 

Only then did Squall grab one of the tents and head over to his chosen spot. The students had chosen well - he and Vincent would be close without being right in the middle of them. They'd be noisy the first night, he knew, even after running them around the woods for hours. 

Most of his conversation with Vincent while setting up the tent was about the tent, which Squall could tell was not the sort of tent that Vincent was expecting. But they weren't about to sleep huddled on the ground with canvas just above their heads. No, this was a tent that would fit two more if necessary, had a nice partition if it was needed, mesh 'windows' and even a hilarious sort of front porch. 

"What about a sleeping bag?" Vincent questioned as he followed Squall back over to the car for supplies. 

"I know Xu's lists like the back of my hand," Squall replied. "She brings three extra kits just in case of, well, anything really. Obviously, it'll be a good excuse to mess with everyone, but..."

"Do I want to know?"

"Wait til you see how the girls react to being told that toilet paper is being rationed."

Vincent chuckled. "It's not, I'm guessing." 

"We're also, if I take the unmarked shortcut, about fifteen minutes from Garden," Squall reminded him. "We know that. They don't."

"You're truly nefarious, Commander," Vincent noted as he grabbed his own bag and gun case. Squall rummaged around in the back of the car for everything he wanted. It was tempting to steal all the toilet paper, but he wasn't sure he was up for that sort of panic with this group. Instead, he grabbed a couple of folded chairs, a first aid kit, and a handful of other things all conveniently with straps so he could keep slinging them across his back. 

~*~

"Now I see why we left so early," Vincent commented as he, Xu, and Squall sat under the porch flap of their tent watching yet another half-raised tent pitch over in a faint gust of wind. 

"At least Max realized they needed to split duties," Xu said. She gestured to the various pairs who'd split off from the group getting the tents up. "That's better than some years where they finally get the tents up and realize there's still a fire to build and all the supplies to deal with. Not to mention..."

"Latrine, water gathering, cooking..." Squall ticked off an entire list on his fingers. He knew the students were going to hate this until they realized how much they'd learned. 

"And we haven't had to step in yet." 

Squall nodded. That was a minor miracle, though he knew it was coming. There would be a minor dust-up, or they'd all get stuck on some task, or--

"Miss Xu!" A girl came running up - Ildara, Xu's tentmate. 

"What is it?" Xu asked. 

"Miya and I were checking supplies and have concerns regarding the, ah--" Ildara looked awkwardly at Vincent and Squall and Squall immediately knew what this was about. He slipped his hand over to give Vincent the most covert tap on the arm ever and did his best to keep a straight face. 

"I mean," she said as firmly as she could. "We seem to have a low amount of toilet paper for the number of personnel on this mission."

"Once camp is set up, we'll discuss how we're going to ration it," Xu replied calmly. "I'll make a note."

Ildara winced, nodded, and then turned to trot back over to the cars. 

"Truly impressive," Vincent said. Xu just smiled. 

~*~

The true highlight of the night, however, was the crate Squall had left in the back of one of the trucks until it was necessary. The sun had just dipped below the horizon and dinner dishes were clean. 

Laguna had given him the crate and its contents and in exchange, when Squall could, he suggested a few SeeDs in Esthar's direction. 

"What is it?" Aiden questioned as he peered over Squall's shoulder. 

"Night training," Squall replied. He cracked the lid. Inside were jackets and helmets and composite weapons designed to work with the jackets and helmets. Safer and less messy than paint ammo, the light-contact system also allowed for a variety of weapons aside from projectile. Not everything would match perfectly with what the students used, but there would be options they'd be competent using.

"Awesome," Aiden replied. "We're going to..."

"In unpleasant terms, hunt each other," Squall finished. 

Vincent gave Aiden a long look. "You'll finally have to shoot Grace."

"I can shoot Grace," Aiden replied quickly. Squall glanced back at Vincent. Obviously that was an ongoing issue. Aiden needed to be able to react to people, not just monsters. This would be good for him. 

Squall handed Aiden the first jacket and helmet, along with the first gun. 

"Good luck," he said. 

It took the better part of a half-hour to get everyone outfitted, and after that they had five minutes to get wherever they were going before the system would be live. 

"How many teams are we on?" Dannsel, Grace's boyfriend, had questioned. Squall had just shook his head. No teams. Not tonight.

The campsite was empty after the first minute. Xu and Squall both grabbed for jackets and helmets of their own. Vincent paused before accepting one. 

"Even if you're staying here," Squall said firmly. 

"I'll stay," Xu offered. "You two go out and keep an eye on them."

Vincent nodded. 

"We'll hunt them and anything that's not from Garden that's hunting them," Squall explained. 

"That sounds like a plan," Vincent replied. Squall opted for a handgun instead of his gunblade, though. There was nothing remotely dangerous in the woods to someone with any training and he had Shiva and a buffet of spells if he needed them. 

The lightgun felt like a toy in his hand and he could tell Vincent felt the same way. 

The system went live as soon as they'd finished getting suited up. Xu pulled out a flat-screened computer pad and smiled. 

"Good luck," she said. Squall didn't think they'd need it. 

~*~

An hour later, Squall's lightgun started blinking, followed by slow ripples up his jacket. The exercise was over. There was a matching light a hundred meters away and when he headed that way, Vincent was stretching and smiling a surprisingly genuine smile. 

"That was fun," he said. "Interesting technology."

"I heard rumors that the entire presidential residence staff got to test it out," Squall said with a little chuckle. "If you want that mental image. Probably got new job offers for a few of the maids."

"I can see that. How did everyone do?"

"We'll see when we get back. Ildara had the honors of offing Grace, but she was so proud of that she didn't see me," Squall said with a little headshake. "I know Dannsel, Max, and Tony tried to gang up on a few stragglers."

"Does anyone ever get the instructors?" Vincent questioned. 

"More than once," Squall replied quickly. Good students, those. "Xu can reset us right away, though."

"I should have taken a few shots at you, then."

"Nice to know you care." Squall couldn't help smiling and giving Vincent a friendly little nudge. 

An hour later, gear packed and students in various states of ready-for-sleep, Squall and Vincent flopped into their chairs. Xu was still logging notes. 

"You can do that in the morning," Squall reminded her.

"I figured I'd keep watch for a bit," Xu replied. "You know--" 

She waved a hand at the tents. 

"I'll take a second watch, if you want to wake me," Vincent offered. 

Squall knew she had a point. That and she hadn't been scrambling through the woods like a maniac. "I'll take the early morning, then."

"Do you want me off your porch?" Xu asked. 

It wasn't until he was very nearly asleep that Squall figured out why she'd asked. Vincent was already deeply asleep. And Squall... stared at the slightly-sloped ceiling of the tent for another half-hour. 

~*~

"Near Winhill? Are you sure?" Squall couldn't believe what he was hearing. Except it made perfect sense, in a way. Another disturbance and this time, a confirmed new sorceress exhibiting power despite not having been anywhere near another sorceress at the time. 

Ellone had the young woman with her and was finally calling. 

"There's no way this could be anything else," Ellone replied. "The world isn't working like it should. I don't know. I couldn't get ahold of Rinoa--"

"I'll see what I can do," Squall said quickly. "The girl--"

"Her name is Merri. She's sixteen. And she's not a threat. She's scared, but I think she'll be okay."

"Be careful, Sis. Check in every day, okay?"

"You sound like Laguna."

"Mean," Squall commented. Honestly, did Ellone have to add that in? Though she was probably right. Squall could imagine Laguna asking her to check in daily as well. She'd probably already spoken with him. If not, he had to be next on the call list. 

"I love you too," Ellone said. 

"Be careful. I'll be there as soon as I can."

If nothing else, he had a potential SeeD Test lined up now. Investigating whatever was going on would be perfect. Especially because he had a really bad feeling about it. This was the third incident near Winhill since Darkest Nights, at least that he knew about. There might have been more. 

At least he'd been back from the camp training to get her call, but only just barely. 

Darkest Nights had been... Squall smiled at the memory. He'd had Rinoa close, which was a reminder that he always had someone to protect even when he felt lost. Even when she didn't always think she needed protecting... He had Laguna and Ellone, who balanced each other and provided things he needed in his life, though in Laguna's case, Squall would never ever admit that. 

He had his friends - Bekele among them. And Vincent... Vincent had given him a couple of interesting old books that had matched the interesting old book he'd gotten for Vincent. Neither had commented much on it, but they'd both spent a lot of time reading and looking for incidents similar to the present. Neither had any luck. 

They'd spent about half of one afternoon sitting on their tent porch tossing theories at one another, all of which were rendered void by what Ellone had just told him. 

All of the awkwardness was gone between them, but Squall wasn't sure what had replaced it - a sort of lingering anticipation, perhaps. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to ruin what they had and have to start over...

Squall headed out of his office, thinking as much about Ellone and Merri as Vincent. Even if it wouldn't make a good expedition for a SeeD Test, he wanted to tell Vincent about the newest report. Quistis, too, if he could find her. She was probably patrolling for students out past curfew. He hadn't realized how late it was. But Ellone was farther west. So of course she'd called later. And he'd been just about to tackle the paperwork pile that had politely waited for him and even proceeded to grow in his absence. 

His work was never done, after all. 

Vincent was in his classroom, which wasn't a surprise. He tended to stay late to grade papers and write up lesson plans and prepare for the next day. It was apparently a better atmosphere than his sparse quarters, or something. That or he just didn't want to drag paperwork around when he didn't have to. He still tended to print everything out even though it was available on the many consoles... Squall knew it was a relic of Vincent's world and time. 

"Have any midnight-snack apples?" Squall questioned as he knocked at the door frame. 

"Is it that late already? I've only been here a few minutes..." Vincent asked in response before looking up at the clock by the door. His hair was loose and looking shaggy, likely a result of being washed in a bucket, though Squall couldn't complain about it. His own hair was getting long and while he sometimes thought about getting it cut, so far nothing had happened. If he didn't get herded into a barber shop, he'd probably have to start tying it back in the near future. And then he'd look like Laguna. 

Squall immediately vowed to see about a haircut in the morning. 

"Not quite, but close," Squall said as he stepped in and closed the door behind him. Before he could sit at one of the student consoles, Vincent tossed an apple to him. 

"What's up, Commander?" Vincent questioned. There was a strange tone in Vincent's voice that Squall couldn't place. Vincent looked tired - there were dark circles under his ruby-red eyes. 

"You, apparently, despite the last couple days of sleep deprivation?" Squall asked. "You look wiped."

Vincent nodded. "I wanted to reference something that I thought of when we were talking... I didn't mention it because I couldn't remember the details but now..."

"Ellone recovered a sorceress," Squall said quickly. There was no reason to hold off on the information if Vincent was doing himself in trying to research.

"Alive?" Vincent questioned. Squall nodded and told him what Ellone had explained over the phone.

"I'm still trying to find more information on Hyne," Vincent said after a long moment. "Tracing his power."

"Sorceress power is supposed to be passed along and it might even fade over time," Squall said. "But I know you know that. And a lot of it was consolidated into... well, into Rinoa, now. Possibly all of it, but since no one knows what happens to the power when a sorceress dies and can't pass it along..."

"It returns to Hyne, perhaps," Vincent said. He leaned back in his chair and looked at Squall for a long moment. "But Hyne doesn't want it, because it's trouble. He hides it in women. So he has to re-hide it."

"And that's causing the disturbances?" Squall asked. That... Well it made an exceedingly useful amount of sense except there was absolutely no way of testing it and it was also a theory based entirely on myth. 

"The best I've come up with," Vincent admitted. "It sounded better before I said it out loud to you."

"I'll run it by Rinoa." Squall shook his head. It wasn't bad. It really wasn't bad. Ridiculous, but not bad. "Unless you want to. I mean, you have the sources and it'd probably easier. But in the morning, so she doesn't kill me. Unlike Laguna, I know how time-zones work. And even in Timber, it's getting pretty late."

Squall flipped the apple up in the air once and caught it. 

"If I head to Winhill tomorrow, would you like to go with me?" he asked. 

Vincent nodded. "I'm not going home, though. Not unless I have to."

"Have to?"

"If my presence is assisting the disturbances, I... I don't want to be a burden."

"You're here for a reason," Squall said firmly. "Also, you look exhausted. Go to bed. We can start again in the morning."

Vincent nodded.

Besides, Squall knew Vincent's story. He knew Vincent didn't want to go home. And he didn't want Vincent to go home. 

He didn't want Vincent to go home. 

Squall ate the apple for breakfast between phone calls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \o/ Let's get this plot on the road!


End file.
